Look at the chart of PAR vs distance for T5 lights in http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=184368 and you will see that at about 20 inches distance, the approximate height of a 55 gallon tank, a two bulb Catalina light, with the bulbs spaced 7.5 inches apart, gives you high light. Space the bulbs closer together, and you get even more light. The 3 bulb version gives a little more light than the 2 bulb, but not enough to matter. In any case, you need to raise that light a few inches to lower the intensity, or you will spend most of your aquarium efforts trying to get rid of algae. And, if you raise it a few inches a splash guard is superfluous.
catalina double or triple T5 light fixture
i were on Catalina web page to order my double T5 light fixture and i saw that they have 3x54watt solar T5 w/splash guard for the same price. 
what is a solar T5 light hood. which light bulb should i get one pink plant grow or 6500kbulb , 6700 bulb , 10000k bulb. so many bulb which one choose for my 55 gallon tank. do i need a splash guard on my light fixture?
any suggestion on choosing right light bulb will be helpful.
Thanks
what is a solar T5 light hood. which light bulb should i get one pink plant grow or 6500kbulb , 6700 bulb , 10000k bulb. so many bulb which one choose for my 55 gallon tank. do i need a splash guard on my light fixture? any suggestion on choosing right light bulb will be helpful.
Thanks
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I have the 3 bulb one for my 75. I have had it for over a year now and love it. I have played around with many different variations before I found the one I like which is: 2 pink plant grow and one 6500k. Never been a fan of the 10000k much as it looks too much like a shop light effect on the tank. Here is a pic with all three bulbs on.
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